A WAR OVER THE FUTURE OF THE NREN/INTERNET

[Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins () access digex net>]

----------------------Original Message----------------------------

It is unfortunate but, perhaps, unavoidable that the information
disseminated by the NSF and Congress concerning the privatization of the
NREN, has been more in the order of a "spin doctor's" disinformation
campaign.  The Director of the NSF NREN program, Stvve Wolff, and the Rick
Adams are enthusiastic supporters of the ethic of materialism.  In their
effort to assist private industry to carry out their hostile takeover of
the NREN, they have lost sight of the fact that this program was
originally designed and remains one dedicated to serve the non-profit
research and education community. Private industry can offer their
services to those who want commercial services.  There is no justification
to terminate nonprofit subsidy for support of NREN services, any more than
there would be to terminate public support for the Postal Service, public
schools, and public broadcasting, just because private commercial services
are offered in these fields.  What NSF is engineering is an utterly
unwarranted takover of networks that were invented, built, and operated
strictly for the nonprofit research and education community. 

ALL ENLIGHTENED CITIZENS AFFECTED BY THESE ACTIONS SHOULD ORGANIZE
THEMSELVES AND PROTEST IN EVERY PEACEFUL WAY AVAILABLE. Vigdor

On Mon, 7 Jun 1993, Rick Adams wrote:

> In article <"our.mail.com-priv".9306071145.AA11277 () cise cise nsf gov> you
> write:
>
> > Awards made under the currently active solicitation will include awards to
> > regional networks to purchase backbone service on the open market.  That is,
> > the NSF will switch from supplier funding to user funding.
> >
> > The NSF is committed to continuity of network service to the research and
> > education community; we will take whatever steps are necessary to assure it.

   The NSF program solicitation issued May 6, 1993 calls for the total
termination of support for mid-level networks over the next several years.
It does not provide any firm commitment for funding these institutions, at
all, and demands that any funding is conditioned on complete reorganization
of the network under an interregional connectivity scheme that will most
likely push control over the entire NREN system to private groups seeking
to maximize their power and wealth,

> While the goal is commendable, you seem to have lost sight of who the
> users are. Funding the regionals, most of whom are directly competing
> with commericial providers, can only be considered funding the "users"
> by the most desperate type of rationalization.

  During an interim period the mid-level network institutions may be
supported by public subsidy. When this subsidy is completely terminated in
several years, Congress is not contemplating any new subsidy to the
mid-level networks, but Congress is contemplating end-user subsidies to
"researchers, educators, and students to obtain access to and use of the
Internet.  The result, will leave users in a completely atomized state,
without any institutional support for the value-directed purposes of the
program.  They will be subjected, instead, to the profit maximization
purposes of industry.

, but 

> The current NSF solicitation has no provision for funding users.  It
> DOES have a provision for directly subsidizing regional networks who
> are unable to compete with their commercial counterparts.
  This is true.  Nonprofit institutions engaged in networking operations
to serve the public good, must not be measured by simplistic standards
that are totally unrelated to their work.

> There is no demonstrated need to subsidize the regionals to continue
> network service. This is just another government "entitlement" that
> refuses to die. And, like most entitlement recipients, it has a very
> vocal lobby concocting unsubstantiated disaster scenarios to continue
> government funding of their inefficient operation.
  Public service in pursuit of an informed citizenry and enlightened
self-government are at the heart of the democratic mission.  Anyone who
would disregard the need to sustain this mission is not serious.


> All NSF has to do to continue network service is to definitively get
> the hell out of the way so the commercial providers can believe they
> have a chance at that business.
>
> The regionals have had 18 months notice (the length of time on the
> backbone extension). Let them evolve or die.

We are engaged in a war over the future of the NREN/Internet. This
suggestion that "we get the hell out of the way" must be clearly responded
to by the millions of network users who created this amazing cyberspace. 

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